Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;Zanmuember&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Zanmuember’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with bronze ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date week 41; blooming for a period of 4 weeks.

BOTANICAL DESIGNATION

Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat.

CULTIVAR DENOMINATION

‘Zanmuember’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat., commercially known as a garden mum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar denomination ‘Zanmuember’. ‘Zanmuember’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new cultivars with a double type inflorescence, a natural season flower date around week 41, blooming for a period of 5 weeks. ‘Zanmuember’ is a seedling resulting from a cross of the female parent id 9376 with the male parent id 177772. Both parents are unpatented plants. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Zanmuember’ differ from plants of the female parent in the following characteristics. (1) Plant vigor and (2) Natural season flower date. (1) Plants of the seedling are more vigorous than plants of the female parent. (2). Plants of the seedling flower later in season than plants of the female parent. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Zanmuember’ differ from plants of the male parent in the following characteristics. (1) Inflorescence size and (2) Natural season flower date. (1). The size of the inflorescences of the seedling is larger than those of the male parent. (2). Plants of the seedling flower later in season than plants of the male parent.

The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Wilhelmus Bernardus Blom on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2005. The first act of asexual production of ‘Zanmuember’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings from the initial selection in 2005 were propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2010. The natural blooming date of this crop was October 11 (week 41) . The average height of the plants was 39 cm. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new cultivar produces medium sized blooms with bronze ray florets blooming for a period of 4 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivars in comparison to ‘Zanmuember’ are ‘Zanmusunset’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,475) and ‘Zanmufay’ (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/591,868). When ‘Zanmuember’ is being compared with ‘Zanmusunset’ and ‘Zanmufay’ the following differences are noticed (1) Color upper surface of ray florets. And (2) Presence of a disc in inflorescences. (1) The orange color of the upper surface of the ray florets is more yellow in tone in ‘Zanmufay’ than in ‘Zanmuember’ and ‘Zanmusunset’. (2) A small disc is present in the inflorescences of ‘Zanmuember’, while it is absent in ‘Zanmusunset’ and ‘Zanmufay’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Zanmuember’ as a new and distinct cultivar.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 2001.

TABLE 1 Detailed Botanical Description Bud Size Small; cross-section 5 mm, height 4 mm Shape Round Texture Pubescent Outside Color Greyed-green 191A Phyllaries Number 20, arranged in 3 rows Shape Elliptic Apex Acute Base Truncate Margin Entire Color Upper surface: Green 138A Lower surface: Green 138B Length and width 4 mm; 2 mm Texture Pubescent Inflorescences Type Double Height 1.2 cm Diameter 5 cm Peduncle length 4-5 cm Peduncle color Green 138B Peduncle diameter 1 mm Peduncle texture Pubescent Number per branch Approx. 5 inflorescences Duration of flowering 4 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate, Greyed-brown 199A, length 1.5 mm, diameter 0.5 mm Fragrance Faint chrysanthemum odor Color Center of inflorescence Immature stage: Greyed-red 178B Mature stage: Yellow 12C Color of upper surface of the ray- Greyed-orange 168B to 168C florets Color of the lower surface of the Greyed-orange 167D Ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with bronze blooms and a dark center Color of the ray-florets after aging Greyed-orange 168D of the plant Ray florets Texture Upper and lower surface smooth Number 210-230 Shape Elliptic Apex Dentate Base Attnuate Cross-section Flat Longitudinal axis of majority Straight Length of corolla tube 3-4 mm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 1.8-2 cm Ray-floret width 4-6 mm Ratio length/width High Disc florets Disc diameter 1 cm Distribution of disc florets Scarce Shape Tubular Color Yellow-green 150D at base to Yellow 12C at apex Length 4 mm Diameter 3 mm Receptacle Color Yellow-green 145D Shape Conical raised Height 4 mm Diameter 3 mm Reproductive Organs Androecium Present on only disc florets Stamen length 3 mm Stamen color Yellow-green 144A Anther color Yellow 3A Pollen Present Pollen color Yellow 13A Gynoecium Present on both ray and disc florets Style color Yellow-green 154C Style Length 3 mm Stigma color Yellow 7A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovary Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a spray type pot mum, outdoor raised and mounded Growth habit Spherical shape Growth rate High Height 38-40 cm Width 60 cm Stem Color Greyed-brown 199A Stem Strength Strong Stem Brittleness Not brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Not observed Internode length 1.5-2 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 22 cm Lateral branch color Green 137C Lateral branch, attachment Brittle Lateral branch diameter 22 mm Branching (average number of Prolific with 7 breaks after lateral branches) pinching Natural season blooming date October 11 (week 41) Foliage Leaf color Upper side: Green 137A Lower side: Green N138C Color midvein Upper side: Yellow-green 147D Lower side: Yellow-green 148D Size Small; length 2-5.5 cm, width 1-3 cm Quantity (number per lateral 16-18 branch) Shape Elliptic Texture upper side Sparsely pubescent Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Between Rounded Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Lateral Diverging Lobes Shape of Base Truncate Apex Mucronulate Petiole length 1-2 cm Petiole diameter 2 mm Petiole color Yellow-green 147D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison cultivars ‘Zanmuember’ ‘Zanmusunset’ ‘Zanmufay’ Color upper Greyed-Orange Greyed-Orange Greyed-Orange surface ray floret 168B to 168C 168B to 168C 163B to 163D Presence disc in Present Absent Absent inflorescences 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct chrysanthemum plant named ‘Zanmuember’ as described and illustrated. 